Reports have started to swirl around Rutger McGroarty. Should the Wild join the discussion?
Rutger McGroarty was the Winnipeg Jets' 14th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Some reports out there suggest there may be a disconnect between McGroarty and the Jets which may lead to a trade.
"I’m gonna be really careful here because there are a lot of answers I don’t have. His family advisor is not talking and the Jets are not talking but the one thing I can tell you is that I have heard his name has come up in trade discussions," Elliotte Friedman said about McGroarty on the 32 Thoughts podcast Saturday. "The Jets have discussed trading and other teams have discussed acquiring McGroarty’s rights.
"Again, I’m not gonna guess on anything here, but I’m simply going to say that I’ve heard his name has come up in trade conversations."
McGroarty, 20, has spent his last two years at the University of Michigan. He is coming off a 16 goal season which saw him rack up 52 points in 36 games for the Wolverines. But after back-to-back Frozen Four losses, McGroarty has decided to go back to Michigan for his Junior season.
This decision sparked a lot of conversations about the possibility of McGroarty maybe wanting out of Winnipeg.
The asking price for McGroarty is unknown at the moment but I would think that the Cutter Gauthier trade is a fair comparable.
Gauthier, 20, was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a defenseman, and former 6th overall pick in 2020 Jamie Drysdale, and a second-round pick in 2025.
The Wild don't have a Drysdale type of player but they do have Marco Rossi who was the ninth overall pick in 2020 by Minnesota. Gauthier spent two years at Boston College where he recorded 54 goals, 48 assists, and 102 points in 73 games. McGroarty has 34 goals, 57 assists, and 91 points in 75 games.
Trading Rossi and a second-round pick for McGroarty shouldn't be something the Wild consider and trading Rossi for McGroarty one-for-one probably shouldn't be either.
But if the Wild do trade Rossi, this seems like something the team would do. McGroarty is fast, he's 6-foot-1, plays physical, is aggressive, and can score. All of which the Wild are looking to find in a player.
Rossi, 22, is coming of a season where he played in all 82 games and scored 21 goals. He was a nominee for the Bill Masterton Award and finished the season with 40 points and 35 hits.
"From a scouting standpoint we are really proud," Wild's Director of Amateur Scouting Judd Brackett said on Rossi. "He has turned himself into the player we envisioned him to be. He has made it clear that he has top-six center ability and when you're an undersized guy that can always be questioned. We really stuck to it and felt his detail, his off-puck play, and his awareness were all things that were, even at his size, allow him to be an NHL center."
It also will remain to be seen if McGroarty can translate his dominance in the NCAA to the NHL but there is no doubt he is a good player and likely will be a good NHL player. But he is a winger and will likely be a winger in the NHL.
Not only has Rossi preformed well despite what he went through medically but he also has become a leader for the Wild and someone that is a good example for younger players on the team and honestly, older players as well.
"He's a leader for young guys right now, he's a model for them," Brackett said on Rossi. "This is what you need to do, this is the commitment level you need to be at to be an NHL regular, and for us he's a great person to have in the organization because others can look to him and say am I doing everything I need to be doing to get there."
It would be a little interesting if the Wild were to trade Rossi for anyone to be honest but specially for McGroarty. It likely wouldn't be the only option for the Jets though.
Say the Wild won't get their guy at pick 13 in the Draft on Friday. Maybe they see if they can trade pick 13 to the Jets, who do not have a first round pick, for McGroarty.
Tell us what you think. Should the Wild call the Jets about McGroarty?
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